Virginia Messina

Virginia Messina, MPH, RD is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in public health nutrition from the University of Michigan. She writes and speaks about vegetarian and vegan diets for the public and health professionals and blogs as TheVeganRD. Her previous books include Vegan for Life, Vegan for Her, and The Dietitians’ Guide to Vegetarian Diets.

Ginny is a founding member of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group and has twice co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Position on Vegetarian Diets. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Vegetarian Resource Group and the board of directors of Vegfund.

Prior to focusing her efforts on vegan nutrition, she was on the faculty of Central Michigan University, where she taught courses on general nutrition, lifecycle nutrition, and nutrition education to dietetics students. She was also a dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and was director of nutrition services for George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Ginny lives in Port Townsend, Washington with her husband and an ever-changing population of rescued cats. When she’s not researching and writing about vegan nutrition, she volunteers for her local animal shelter and feral cat group, practices piano, gardens, and is learning to knit with vegan fibers. Follow her on facebook and twitter.